Report Offers Safety Recommendations for Oil Refineries in California

The Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety has released a draft report that contains recommendations to improve public and worker safety at and near the state's oil refineries.

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, the group examined ways to improve safety through enhanced oversight and better emergency preparedness. The report includes a frank assessment of the current state of refinery safety with input from stakeholders, a study by the RAND Corp, and findings Cal-OSHA and CSB.

Key recommendations:

• Create an Interagency Refinery Task Force within the California EPA to coordinate activities and execute recommended actions
• Create refinery-specific provisions within local HazMat emergency response area plans, with aligned radio communications among response officials, and perform joint drills and exercises to improve local emergency response. 
• Strengthen current regulations and develop new regulations and practices to address the underlying causes of safety problems including inherently safer systems, periodic assessments of safety culture, complete root-cause analysis and human factors. 
• Ensure public input in developing plans for responding to emergencies involving the release of toxic chemicals.
• Improve alerts and public access to information during emergency events, and enhance the presentation and availability of air monitoring information for the general public. 

The report also recommends enhanced enforcement and increased worker involvement in improving the methods and culture of safety at refineries.

UPDATE: CSB Chair Rafael Moure-Eraso applauded the report calling it "an important step forward in improving oil refinery safety and environmental performance both in California and nationally." Read his full comments here.